How to plant tomatoes on seedlings

Tell me how to plant tomatoes for seedlings? Last year we bought a private house and moved there to live. As real “urban”, we know only the basics about agriculture, but I really want to learn. Here, we decided to start with the cultivation of tomatoes, and the neighbor advised us to use the seedling method. He says that the harvest will ripen earlier.

An abundant crop of tomatoes depends on the quality of the seedlings: the stronger and healthier it is, the stronger the bushes will be, the less they will be sick and more fruit will be tied. For this reason, gardeners, especially beginners, need to have an idea of ​​how to plant tomatoes for seedlings, because the future harvest depends on it. What should I pay attention to when planning the cultivation of tomatoes, and what should be done to do this?

Choosing seeds

The first step is to determine the seed material. The most reliable way is to purchase it in a specialized store, choosing zoned and proven varieties from well-known manufacturers. When choosing tomato seeds, the following factors should also be taken into account:

the height of the bushes (stunted or high);

terms of fruiting (early ripening or late);

the purpose of cultivation (salad or for preservation).

One of the main nuances is the place of further cultivation of tomatoes: there are specialized varieties of tomato for both greenhouses and open ground, and this separation should be adhered to.

Preparing Seed Material

So that the seeds are not upset by poor similarity, they must first be prepared. We start with the fact that we reject substandard, empty, seeds. To do this, pour the seeds into salt water and leave for five minutes. All that pops up - throwing (from them there will be no sense). With the remaining quality seeds at the bottom, we perform two more procedures:

We disinfect, placing in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour.

Stratified by wrapping it in cloth and putting it in the fridge for three days.

We prepare the soil

While the seeds are undergoing preparatory procedures, you can do the ground. Land for seedlings should be fertile and loose to provide seedlings with essential nutrients and not to hinder their growth. The best choice is to buy ready-made substrates in the store, especially for seedlings. You can also prepare the mixture yourself by mixing in equal proportions:

soil from the garden;

humus;

peat.

Add a half-liter jar of ash and 2 matchboxes of superphosphate to a bucket of such soil mixture.

Home substrate should be disinfected by heating in the oven, steaming or spilling with potassium permanganate.

Sowing seeds

To grow tomato seedlings you can use:

common container;

peat pots or pills;

cassette.

The selected container is filled with soil and well moistened with a spray bottle. We make grooves (in total capacity) or wells with a depth of no more than 1 cm and lay out the seeds. For group sowing, leave 4 cm between the seeds, and between the grooves up to 5 cm. We cover the sowings with a thin layer of soil, cover the dishes with a film to create a greenhouse effect and set them on a bright window sill. In this form, they will remain until they germinate, and at this time it is necessary to periodically air the greenhouse and spray the soil. Then the film can be removed.

Grown up seedlings with a pair of these leaves from the common container should be dived into separate pots. After a week and a half after this procedure, you can start feeding (it is enough to double the mineral complex with a break of 2 weeks). Before planting seedlings to a permanent place, it must be hardened.